This disclosure relates to the field of data communications. More particularly, methods and apparatus are provided for conducting peer-to-peer communications on a restricted communication channel.
Wireless communications have many benefits, for both data and voice, but are not without restrictions. For example, in the United States, consumer use of radio frequency ranges 5.25-5.35 GHz and 5.47-5.725 GHz is not permitted to interfere with certain types of radar systems (e.g., Doppler weather radar). Upon detection of a signal indicative of a protected radar system, any device configured or configurable to use a restricted range must automatically and quickly switch to a channel that does not interfere.
A Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) algorithm is often used to facilitate frequency changes. Even in unrestricted frequency bands, DFS is used to allow radio devices (e.g., wireless access points) to automatically choose one of multiple frequency channels, usually to avoid interference or congestion on other channels.
However, applying DFS within a peer-to-peer communication environment to comply with channel restrictions has been impossible, or at least difficult, when communicating peers are connected to different access points. For example, when two peer devices are communicating directly and one of them is required by its access point to change away from its current (restricted) channel, the peer-to-peer communications may be disrupted, especially if the change conflicts with a series of channel changes already scheduled for the devices.